ENGAGING IN WARFARE ONE IS WOUNDED, HOWEVER, DO NOT FEAR, FOR OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE PHYSICIAN OF OUR SOULS AND BODIES.

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

Engaging in Warfare one is Wounded, however, do not fear,
for our Lord Jesus Christ is the PHYSICIAN OF OUR SOULS AND BODIES.

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom,
and HEALING ALL KINDS OF DISEASE AMONG THE
PEOPLE" [Matthew 4:23].

"Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they
brought to Him ALL SICK PEOPLE WHO WERE
AFFLICTED WITH VARIOUS DISEASES AND TORMENTS,
AND THOSE WHO WERE DEMON-POSSESSED,
EPILEPTICS, AND PARALYTICS; AND HE HEALED
THEM" [Matthew 4:24].

The chances of being wounded when engaged in warfare are very real. This applies to spiritual warfare as well. In order to "wage a good warfare," however, [1 Timothy 1:18] one must have "faith and a good conscience" [1 Timothy 1:19]. As in any war or battle the ordinary soldier will need to be trained first at a base camp and prepared to fight and even be willing to give his life for the cause. And of course the military leader, the general, has a strategy on how, not only to fight successfully, but to win and conquer the enemy. In every war there are countless men who are wounded and many who are killed.

The life of the Christian on earth is a constant battle against evil forces. Therefore everyone ought to be prepared and vigilant spiritually to stay safe and aware of the variou dangers at hand. When confronting the enemy in a battle it is inevitable that one may be wounded or even possibly injured mortally. When a person is physically wounded is in anguish and suffers greatly. When a person is spiritually wounded he/she too is in agony and suffers from it. Whether one is wounded physically or spiritually he or she needs immediate medical attention and the means to ease the pain and the necessary time to heal.

There is absolutely no one who goes through life and is unscathed or not injured by something or someone. We only need to see the countless Holy Martyrs of the Church to understand the reality of living in the world. It is not whether we will be wounded that is important or not, but how one acts or responds to it. Human life and soul is sacred and therefore it is our duty to defend it and to protect it from sinful behavior that will cause life-threatening injury to our soul. It is possible, when a person is wounded, and in pain spiritually, that fear sets in, and one may feel alone or even isolated. However, this is the time for the Orthodox Christians to turn to the Physician of our souls and bodies, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and with profound faith, and humility, to entreat Him to bestow upon them forgiveness and healing. Our Holy Church provides us with the Mystery of the Anointing of the Sick or Holy Oil {Holy Unction), and therefore, those suffering physically, or spiritually, find healing when participating in the sacrament with faith.

No devout and sincere follower of Christ should dwell on the negative i.e., the wound itself. Even being wounded can be a useful lesson and a learning experience. It is during times of adversity and suffering when a Christian discovers how strong his/her faith and love in God is, when he/she learns what is important in life, when he/she admits of his strengths, as well as, his/her weaknesses, when he/she declares that there is much more room to grow as a person and in Christ. A person who has faced all kinds of hardships in life is thankful to God for each day, for new opportunities to help others, for new friendships, and to appreciate his/her family even more. Also, one becomes wiser and more humble and good.

A person of faith sees God’s kindness and love in everything and toward everyone. The Holy Apostle Paul says, "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior" [Titus 3:4-6]. "The washing of regeneration," Baptism, and "renewing of the Holy Spirit, Chrismation, form a unity in our salvation, which is clear throughout the New Testament. Who is it that truly "believes that Jesus is the Christ?" Those who live in the way Christ commanded, who love others. Furthermore, the Holy Apostle John says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us" [1 John 4:18-19].

The true believer in Christ does not allow anything to deter him from living a good life according to the commandments of God. The faithful believer may be full of war-inflicted scars due to the many battles he/she has fought, however, they are indeed symbols of courage and honor. They reveal someone with a noble character, with strong convictions, a person with Christian values and principles, and above all a person who possesses a powerful faith. This kind of a man or a woman cannot be broken, not even when he/she is tortured by unbelievers, as we see in the lives of the Holy Martyrs of our Church. Instead, they rejoiced at the opportunity to suffer for the sake of Christ.

No matter what we experience in life our attention must never be diverted from the sight of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith must always be strong and real. The Greek word for faith is PISTIS and it can be translated both "FAITH" and "FAITHFULNESS." Faith is the conviction that something is true; faithfulness is loyalty and obedience to God. Faith, therefore, is far more than possessing mental belief. Since neither faith nor righteousness originates in us but in our All-Merciful God, true faith transforms our lives, making us Godlike bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Another very important gift from our Almighty God is His grace. By grace not only is Adam’s offense covered and our bondage to death overthrown, but the sins of the whole world are covered as well. There is a Trinitarian blessing offered at the Divine Liturgy by the priest: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

Divine Grace is the Uncreated energy of God, the Gift of the Holy Spirit, through which He gives His gifts to man in tender mercy and Good Will. It is a formative power, the rule of life of the age to come, requiring our determined participation. To belong to God is to become like God. "For the grace of God that brings SALVATION HAS APPEARED TO ALL MEN, TEACHING US THAT DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS, WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY IN THE PRESENT AGE LOOKING FOR THE BLESSED HOPE AND GLORIOUS APPEARING OF OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST" [Ttitus 2:11-13]. The Holy Apostle Paul writes, "But to each one of us grace was given ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF CHRIST’S GIFT" [Ephesians 4:7]. Each member is unique before God, with gifts and roles granted by Him. There is no greater healing power than the grace of our Great and Benevolent God. Therefore no one should ever lose hope.

________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George